Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph. The play is set in August of 1986 at the Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. We have eight characters; Pelajia and Philomena (sisters), Marie-Adele, Annie, and Emily (sisters and half-sisters of Pelajia and Philomena), Veronique (sister-in-law of the others), her mentally disabled adopted daughter, Zhaboonigan, and Nanabush (who plays the Seagull, Nighthawk, and Bingo Master).
What is the intrusion? I believe the intrusion is when Annie’s daughter informs the women that the Biggest Bingo In The World. After this point, we are told of all the characters’ wants and we’re intrigued to find out if their dreams come true. This is when the women decide to head to Toronto and play in the Biggest Bingo In The World to try and win the half a million dollars.
What is the unique factor? This is the day that six Indian women (and one child) decide to take a trip to Toronto to participate in the Biggest Bingo In The World in order to try and win half a million dollars to make each of their dreams come true.
What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play? We want to know if the women actually win the bingo, but more importantly if the women follow through with their dreams and achieve their goals.
Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it. Information known to one character would be Nanbush when he comes back at the very end of the play and dances on the roof by Pelajia. Although she doesn’t even know he is there, he is fulfilling her wish of him coming back and dancing and her wishes have come true. The reader is aware her wishes came true but none of the women are aware. Another piece of information known by all is the fact that Marie-Adele has cancer. I think this is a huge reason why the sisters went all the way to Toronto, even though they earned over $1200 (more than their winnings) beforehand. I think they wanted her to experience getting away from the reservation and the excitement of a road trip to Toronto.
Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be. I believe the most theatrical point in the play is when Marie-Adele dies. This symbolizes a huge turning point in the story, an inevitable and predictable one, yet still this is what seems to shift us from the Bingo game back to the reservation when we finally get answers to our dramatic questions. It also symbolizes Indian religious rituals and beliefs, using Nanabush as Marie-Adele’s escort into the spirit world. This is when we really see the importance Nanabush has in the play.
List some of the themes of the play. Some themes include faith, family, abuse, dreams, Indian religion, and Indian spiritual rituals.
What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants? I would say all of these characters are chief characters, and all eventually get what they want by the end of the story. Palajia wants the Nanabush to come back and dance, Philomena was a nice and new bathroom, Marie-Adele wants an island she can be with her husband and kids on, Emily wants excitement, Veronique wants a huge oven, and Annie wants the world’s largest record player. By the end of the play, we see that each character gets what they want, essentially. We see Nanabush dancing behind Palajia in the very last scene of the play. Philomena won $600 at the Bingo and renovated her bathroom and finally got her amazing toilet. Marie-Adele, while she passed away, we can assume she ascended into Heaven and is probably on a beautiful island up there. Emily grew closer to the women and they learned to understand her more. Veronique takes over taking care of Marie-Adele’s fourteen children and, as an addition, uses Marie-Adele’s kitchen which has an enormous oven. Lastly, Palajia and Philomena lend Annie their record player. So in a way, they all got what they wanted. However, they went through many struggles, specifically between each other when they would fight and bicker throughout the play. We can also say Marie-Adele had a struggle against fate and the gods who eventually took her away as she passed away. They also all struggle with society and trying to overcome the stereotypes and treatment they receive from whites.
Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play. Some possible images could be Pelajia’s hammer, the record player, the big oven, and the toilet seat. All of these images represent the wants of most of the characters. Lastly, we may also say the Bingo cards are images because they represent the women going out and really trying to capture their hopes and dreams. What is ironic is that they raised over $1200 that was larger than the total sum of winnings they came back with. They could have just used this money to buy what they each wanted, though I think the thought of finally getting off “the rez” and going out into the world and the excitement of participating in such a large event was priceless to them.
Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play. This play focuses on a group of women that are all related in different ways, and are all one big “family” in a way. While they bicker and argue quite a bit throughout the play, we also see how they step up for each other in times of need and how they use humor as a tactic to get through hard times. A family is there for you in all times of your life; the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is what these women do for each other. It is a very realistic view of family because it’s not always sunshine and rainbows and arguing and bickering is a total normal part of family.
The play is set in August of 1986 at the Wasaychigan Hill Indian Reserve on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. We have eight characters; Pelajia and Philomena (sisters), Marie-Adele, Annie, and Emily (sisters and half-sisters of Pelajia and Philomena), Veronique (sister-in-law of the others), her mentally disabled adopted daughter, Zhaboonigan, and Nanabush (who plays the Seagull, Nighthawk, and Bingo Master).
What is the intrusion?
I believe the intrusion is when Annie’s daughter informs the women that the Biggest Bingo In The World. After this point, we are told of all the characters’ wants and we’re intrigued to find out if their dreams come true. This is when the women decide to head to Toronto and play in the Biggest Bingo In The World to try and win the half a million dollars.
What is the unique factor?
This is the day that six Indian women (and one child) decide to take a trip to Toronto to participate in the Biggest Bingo In The World in order to try and win half a million dollars to make each of their dreams come true.
What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
We want to know if the women actually win the bingo, but more importantly if the women follow through with their dreams and achieve their goals.
Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
Information known to one character would be Nanbush when he comes back at the very end of the play and dances on the roof by Pelajia. Although she doesn’t even know he is there, he is fulfilling her wish of him coming back and dancing and her wishes have come true. The reader is aware her wishes came true but none of the women are aware. Another piece of information known by all is the fact that Marie-Adele has cancer. I think this is a huge reason why the sisters went all the way to Toronto, even though they earned over $1200 (more than their winnings) beforehand. I think they wanted her to experience getting away from the reservation and the excitement of a road trip to Toronto.
Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
I believe the most theatrical point in the play is when Marie-Adele dies. This symbolizes a huge turning point in the story, an inevitable and predictable one, yet still this is what seems to shift us from the Bingo game back to the reservation when we finally get answers to our dramatic questions. It also symbolizes Indian religious rituals and beliefs, using Nanabush as Marie-Adele’s escort into the spirit world. This is when we really see the importance Nanabush has in the play.
List some of the themes of the play.
Some themes include faith, family, abuse, dreams, Indian religion, and Indian spiritual rituals.
What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of her getting what she wants?
I would say all of these characters are chief characters, and all eventually get what they want by the end of the story. Palajia wants the Nanabush to come back and dance, Philomena was a nice and new bathroom, Marie-Adele wants an island she can be with her husband and kids on, Emily wants excitement, Veronique wants a huge oven, and Annie wants the world’s largest record player. By the end of the play, we see that each character gets what they want, essentially. We see Nanabush dancing behind Palajia in the very last scene of the play. Philomena won $600 at the Bingo and renovated her bathroom and finally got her amazing toilet. Marie-Adele, while she passed away, we can assume she ascended into Heaven and is probably on a beautiful island up there. Emily grew closer to the women and they learned to understand her more. Veronique takes over taking care of Marie-Adele’s fourteen children and, as an addition, uses Marie-Adele’s kitchen which has an enormous oven. Lastly, Palajia and Philomena lend Annie their record player. So in a way, they all got what they wanted. However, they went through many struggles, specifically between each other when they would fight and bicker throughout the play. We can also say Marie-Adele had a struggle against fate and the gods who eventually took her away as she passed away. They also all struggle with society and trying to overcome the stereotypes and treatment they receive from whites.
Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
Some possible images could be Pelajia’s hammer, the record player, the big oven, and the toilet seat. All of these images represent the wants of most of the characters. Lastly, we may also say the Bingo cards are images because they represent the women going out and really trying to capture their hopes and dreams. What is ironic is that they raised over $1200 that was larger than the total sum of winnings they came back with. They could have just used this money to buy what they each wanted, though I think the thought of finally getting off “the rez” and going out into the world and the excitement of participating in such a large event was priceless to them.
Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
This play focuses on a group of women that are all related in different ways, and are all one big “family” in a way. While they bicker and argue quite a bit throughout the play, we also see how they step up for each other in times of need and how they use humor as a tactic to get through hard times. A family is there for you in all times of your life; the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is what these women do for each other. It is a very realistic view of family because it’s not always sunshine and rainbows and arguing and bickering is a total normal part of family.